


it takes a village

by sassyweethang



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Background Luke Garroway/Maryse Lightwood, Background Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Background Relationships, Canon Compliant, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 09:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14830076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassyweethang/pseuds/sassyweethang
Summary: “It’s date night, which means it’s your turn to babysityourdaughter.”





	it takes a village

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magicandarchery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicandarchery/gifts).



> betaed by the ever amazing and stunning ladymatt
> 
> for meg, my friend who is made of stardust and deserves all the smiles

Luke had just sunk into his couch with a deep sigh when there was a rapid fire knock at the door. He shut his eyes and, for a brief moment, contemplated  **not** answering the damn door. It had been a long hard day after all. He deserved a rest.

Still, that nagging little voice at the back of his mind demanded he get up and check,  _ just in case _ . It could easily be a neighbour dropping off misplaced mail as much as it could be a threat to the entire downworld. Either way, better to check rather than be surprised later. 

Luke rolled himself upright with a groan and marched over to the front door. He’d barely got it open when a shock of red hair attached to a small frame was shoved unceremoniously into his chest. Luke let loose a surprised  _ oof  _ but wrapped his arm around the tiny Shadowhunter to steady her. He already recognised the scent of paint that seemed ingrained into Clary’s skin. 

More surprising than a chest full of his daughter was the Head of the Institute who’d put her there. Alec Lightwood stood tall and firm, with a face that allowed no argument, in the frame of the entrance to his apartment. A number of worst case scenarios started going through Luke’s mind, like a top ten hits list of dangers or trouble Clary had gotten herself into. 

“It’s date night, which means it’s your turn to babysit  **_your_ ** daughter,” Alec said strongly before turning on his heel and marching off a little quicker than you’d expect. 

Luke stood confused in the entryway of his home for more than a few silent seconds. His brain trying to catch up with the words as his body paused in preparation for battle. 

“Sorry about that,” Clary mumbled before stepping back, “But they seem to think I need watching, like a toddler or something.”

Luke looked down on his daughter with a smile, which turned to a frown when his eyes caught the sheet of paper stuck to the front of her shirt with a safety pin. Clary caught the angle of his gaze and rolled her eyes. 

“Here,” she said as she ripped the paper from its perch and handed it to him. She slipped past him into the apartment as Luke absentmindedly shut the door. 

Luke scanned the paper in his hand, recognising the numbers for Magnus’ mobile, Alec’s and even Catarina’s number thrown in too. There was also a number for a restaurant that didn’t look local, let alone stateside, and the Institute’s number with Underhill’s extension and Maryse’s too, jotted down. Below it all was Magnus’ signature and a small x.   

“What?” Luke asked because he had all these numbers already, minus the the restaurants, that is. 

“Emergency contact numbers,” Clary clarified with a sigh. 

Luke’s eyebrow raised, “They do know you’re an adult, right?”

“Apparently only in certain circumstances,” Clary grumbled as she kicked off her boots. 

“And they know I’m an adult too, one who knows how to look after his full grown kid?” Luke asked, a touch insulted by the insinuation the paper suggested. 

“Magnus thought you’d need a hand...also, he may have been cackling when Alec dragged me through the portal,” Clary grimaced. 

“You planning something?” Luke asked, straightening and already doing a mental checklist of what he’d need to grab to chase after her and keep her safe. His back up gun was locked in the safe and he really needed to remember to get that out so he could carry it around. 

“Not right now,” Clary shrugged. That was hardly comforting. 

“Let me give them a call, see if we can’t figure this out.” And find out if Clary was hiding something big from him. 

Luke fetched his mobile off the coffee table as Clary threw herself down on the couch, fiddling with the safety pin. He hit the speed dial for Magnus, number two under Maryse who he’d been calling more and more to just be a friend, concerned about how she was adjusting to life beyond shadowhunting. 

Magnus picked up after the first ring, “ _ Dear god, has she already got herself in trouble? _ ”

The sounds of a lively eatery filtered through the background static of the call and something that sounded like Alec commenting on a ‘new record’. 

“No-” Luke started but Magnus cut him off quickly. 

“ _ Then why the hell are you calling? Save it for the emergencies. That’s the whole point of emergency numbers, it’s in the name. _ ” 

The line clicked and Luke was left with the beeps of an ended call. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it, a little stunned. When he looked over to Clary, she simply offered him a thin smile. 

Luke decided he’d try Magnus’ more logical half to get some answers. 

“ _ Hello _ ?” Catarina answered after a few rings, sounding exhausted amongst the beeps and rustling of the ER she worked in. 

“They know I’ve been a dad longer than they’ve been together, right?” Luke said, not really knowing how else to start the conversation for this bizarre night. 

“ _ Is Biscuit bleeding or are you just calling to bitch about the fact that Alec and Magnus are treating us all like a daycare? _ ” Catarina asked with a sigh. 

Luke pondered the answer for a moment, “The latter. With a question of why?” 

“ _Well, sweetie, hate to break it to you but your adopted offspring has in the last year; quelled an uprising, killed her father, _accidentally_ let a queen of hell lose on New York and had to deal with demons and her demonic brother on top of that too, plus the whole thing with the angel and that damn sword and cup,_ ” Catarina listed, she paused to answer someone around her before returning her attention to Luke, “ _That’s not even including the best friend walking around without a pulse, the ridiculous amount of teen drama that requires a ‘who screwed who’ chart that Underhill rolls out for the newbies at the Institute._ ”

That was news to him, not surprising news mind you, but something he’d like to see. 

_ “Face it, Luke, she’s a trouble magnet and you can’t blame the Head of the Institute and the High Warlock for making sure the fort is covered before they go off for some downtime. _ ”

“When you put it like that…” Luke acquiesced. Catarina snorted loudly. 

“ _ No other way to put it. Now I have an ER to run, so unless someone’s dying? _ ”

“Have a good night, Catarina,” Luke sighed, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. 

“ _ Keep Clary on a leash and I just might have an uneventful evening _ ,” she said before hitting the end call option and leaving Luke with a troublesome redhead and some tired acceptance of his new way of life. 

“So?” Clary spoke up, sounding a little sheepish. Might as well keep her where he could see her for a night. The whole Downworld might just send him a fruit basket if he could stave off the next apocalyptic event for a few hours. 

“Take-away and a movie? Like old times?” Luke asked and Clary grinned wide. Besides, he’d missed the family time with all hell breaking loose, literally in some cases. Some of his fondest memories were of building a pillow fort out of the couch cushions with Clary and Simon and watching marathons of Disney films with bowls of ice cream for dinner. It wasn’t quite the downtime he’d had planned for the evening but it was a nice change to cold take out and mindless TV hopping. 

“I’ll call Simon and get him to bring some ice cream and blood for himself too,” Clary said as she fished her phone out her jeans and started texting. 

Ok, so not  _ exactly _ like old times but the new normal. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://quentiincolldwater.tumblr.com/) & [Twitter](https://twitter.com/my_boy_quentin)  
> 


End file.
